Held captive by the Maoris

On a balmy cloudless summer evening, the Celebrity Solstice set sail from Auckland.  The Solstice is an engineering feat, certainly the most technologically advanced, modern, comfortable ship we have sailed on.   I'll write more about it later.

After a rather choppy first night (one of those where you have to sleep on your stomach so you don't roll out of bed), we arrived at our first port of call, the New Zealand city of Tauranga.  Like every city and town we have visited so far in NZ, it is very clean and well kept.  The locals are happy to see you there, and why not?  We drop a lot of cash in their community.  Tauranga is a seaside resort town, like Puerto Vallarta but about one-one hundredth the size.  More like Santa Cruz, California, but smaller and without the boardwalk.  It is a surfing Mecca with wide white beaches rolling down to the pounding surf.

From Tauranga, we headed out with our guide, Christine, for the trek to Rotorua.  The terrain is much like Northern California, specifically the Napa and Sonoma valleys.  It is a rich farming area where the kiwi industry got its start.  Mile after mile, you pass by kiwi orchards, just like the winery vineyards of Napa.  A slice of fresh kiwi and taste of kiwi wine (really sweet, like a dessert wine), and we were outta there.

Our destination was the resort town of Rotorua, which is pronounced kind of like Roto-Rooter.  It is popular for the same reason the small community of Calistoga is popular in the Napa Valley ... geysers, hot mineral pools, and mud baths.  Being built on top of a vast system of underground steam works, many homes in the winter depend on the steam to heat their homes.  That comes with a problem.  Christine told us that sometimes, a steam vent will open under a house, the result being catastrophic.  While we were there, we saw a vent that had opened right under a roadway, forcing the road to be rerouted. 

 The geothermal activity makes Rotorua a popular place to rejuvenate, the large historic resorts catering to the infirmed  and those who want to keep from being infirmed.  The rotten egg smell of sulphur is present, though not overwhelming, and being a warm summer day, Rotorua was packed with kiwis (New Zealanders) and Aussies here for vacation. 

 Rotorua is also on a large lake which reminded us of Clear Lake in Northern California.   The hills surrounding it are dried out from the lack of rain, and the shoreline of the huge lake is a bit stagnant, giving it more than a faint odor of decay (yet, one more reason it reminded me of Clear Lake).

Now, here's where the trip got interesting.  This region is still inhabited by an ancient New Zealand tribe known as the Maori.   As we entered their tribal land of Te Puia, the toothless chief came out of their temple with his sword-bearing tribesmen behind him.  He wanted to know, in essence, what the hell we were doing there.  He demanded to negotiate with one of the people in our party.  Kurt, being the trooper he is, volunteered.  There wasn't a lot of talking going on, more like a lot of grunting and chanting and threatening Kurt with a six foot long stick.  Eventually, the Maoris decided we were cool, they invited us into their temple where they danced a bit, chanted a bit, stuck their tongues out a lot.  To show their gratitude that we weren't there to rip them off or fight them, they invited Kurt up onto the stage where they pressed their noses against his nose, a gesture of friendship, and all was well.

Next, a sea day, then yesterday, Akaroa.

Before 2011, the cruise ships would dock at a port close to Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city.   Now, they dock in Akaroa, a very small tourist town on an inlet of the Pacific coast. The is no dock here large enough to handle the big ships, so we anchored in the bay and took tenders to shore. After finding an incredibly fast high speed internet connection at the tiny lubrary here (99 messages in my inbox), we boarded a bus for the hour and a half drive, much of it through scenic mountain passes, to Christchurch.

The reason ships no longer go to Christchurch is because of the devastating quake in February, 2011.   The 7.3 quake destroyed the docks and about 90% of the downtown.   With a population of about 400,000, Christchurch was similar to downtown Sacramento.   In fact, the downtown area looked much like California's capital city in size and structure with modern high rises sprinkled among smaller historic homes and offices.  Today, there is little left.

While entire city blocks have been cleared, elsewhere the rubble is exactly where it has sat for the past two years.  While we toured the Christchurch museum (which did survive) and the Christchurch Botanical Gardens, which now in mid-summer are in full bloom, the main interest for most tourists is the devastated downtown.   Pedestrians are not allowed in most areas, partly because of the construction but also because of the lingering danger of collapsing buildings.  However, licensed buses are permitted to drive through.  As a reporter, I covered several catastrophic quakes, but to see the lingering destruction in this once quaint city makes me believe the Christchurch quake would have been worse than Loma Prieta, Northridge, Eureka, and Coalinga.  More than 300 people died here when multi-story buildings constructed in the 70s and 80s collapsed. And while the intent is to rebuild the city, the process is slow.   An interesting note, the government here has an "earthquake authority."  Officials inspected buildings and homes following the quake to assess the extent of damage.  Then, the Goverment paid each home owner up to $100,000 to cover damage costs.   Those with insurance could file for more relief should the damage exceed $100,000.   Not a bad deal ... But then on the other hand, a gallon of gas here will cost you $9.00 US.  And lunch for two with a couple of cokes and chicken sandwiches ... $45.

What happened to Friday?

If you think about it (and most of us don't), time is an obscure concept.  It is only relevant in the moment.  In the past and future, it can only be used as a reference.  As such, time becomes even more elusive to comprehend when it doesn't exist.  So, as I sit here in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel in Auckland (which, in the present moment, is an excellent hotel) I wonder what happened to Friday, January 25, 2013.  For me, it never existed.  It is a lost day, never to be retrieved. 

Thursday started off normal enough ... a pleasant day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico ... with plans to board a plane to Los Angeles.  From there, it would be on to Fiji, then Auckland.  The Alaska Airlines flight was on time, smooth, and comfortable from PVR to LAX.  Then after a five hour layover at LAX, at 10:30PM Thursday, Air Pacific flight 811 lumbered down the runway at LAX, not an empty seat on board.  Ten hours later, the aging antiquated 747 touched down in Nadi.  Crossing the International Dateline, Friday was gone .... it never happened.  And we were on our way.

As bad as some of the US airlines are these days, Air Pacific is worse.  From inedible food (lunch was a pasty white flavorless hot dog on a dried out bun, no ketchup, no mustard, no relish), to an "entertainment" system that didn't work (fortunately, the iPad is loaded with books and movies), to pieces of the interior of the plane held together with brown glue and tape, this was no Singapore Airlines.  However, it did take off and land on time (which, according to various websites is a crap shoot for Air Pacific).  And now we are in Auckland.  If you're wondering why we would take Air Pacific and not a more reputable airline, ask American Airlines.  We used miles for this trip (nearly 200,000 total) and this is the airline American put us on. 

But here we are, on Monday morning (those of you in north America won't see Monday morning until tomorrow), and within a few hours, we'll be boarding the Celebrity Solstice for a 37 day journey.

The two days here have given us a chance to explore Auckland, a vastly different city than when I was last here nearly 30 years ago.  It is very clean, very contemporary, a great city for walking with distinct neighborhoods from the homey Parnell district to the cheeky waterfront.  Our hotel is one block from SkyCity.  It is from SkyCty that the city's most notable landmark, the Sky Tower sprouts.   At 328 meters (1076 feet), it is the tallest structure in New Zealand.  In addition to being the hub of communications for this country, it is also a place where you can (legally) bungee jump off the side.   We didn't, nor did we see anyone else.

Auckland is also a city that is famous for boating.   More people have boats here per capita than any other large metropolitan city in the world.  Thus, the nickname, city of sails.  The boats have priority here.  And in the middle of town near the harbor, there is a "drawbridge" sidewalk that connected two islands.  When a sailboat passes, pedestrians are stopped, the bridge opens, and the boat passes.  It can take 15 minutes for the process, and yesterday, we saw restaurant workers (presumably being made late for work by the bridge closing)   who sprinted over the bridge as soon as it reopened apparently heading to one of the many eateries on the island.

It is also a seismically active region.  The locals here talk of the White Island volcano which, in the last week, has experienced a significant increase in geothermal activity.   On a scale of one to four, where four indicates an eruption is imminent, the warning level has just been raised to three.  Tomorrow, we are scheduled to sail right past the island.  Last night, we talked with locals who say if the island blows, they're outta here.While it is a great city to visit, there would be the challenges in living here.  Yes, English is the language spoken, but it takes a lot of concentration to understand the type of English you hear here.  Prices are high compared to the U.S. and Mexico ... an average dinner here with a bottle of wine will set you back over $100.  And gas is about $7.00US a gallon.  And they drive on the wrong side of the road!

So, I guess it is time to leave and explore other parts of New Zealand.   And speaking of time, that day I lost last week, Friday, I will never experience.  However, when we return to the U.S. and Mexico, I will live Monday, March 4 twice.  I hope it's a good day.

An adventure awaits

Most writers and journalists have, at some times in their lives, experienced those periods where they just didn’t feel like writing.   No stimulations, words won’t flow, too busy doing other things.  Whatever, I am emerging from such a period. 

It wasn’t for the lack of opinions or observations.  Our travels to California and the return car trip to Puerto Vallarta, immigration issues for Americans in Mexico, improvements to (and the failure of) the infrastructure we observed upon our return to Mexico, The Presidential election in November, the spate of gun violence in America … all topics that crossed my mind as worthy of a mention.  But it was easier to throw a few lines onto Facebook and let it go at that.

But now, I feel like writing again.  Perhaps the timing is related to an upcoming adventure on which we will depart one week from today.   Though some may argue that the past five years that we have lived in Mexico have been one long vacation, the reality is that even when you  live in a tropical resort town, it really isn’t a vacation.  Sure, it’s a nice place to live, but you still do pretty much the same things you do when you live anywhere else.  Today will we go to the beach, then have cocktails at sunset and dine at a five star restaurant?  No.  I have a doctor’s appointment, then I teach English to Mexicans, then tonight we’ll probably grill some chicken and watch Lance Armstrong admit to Oprah that he lied.   Sound familiar?

So, that being said, next week, we will embark on a real vacation that has been nearly a year in the planning.  A gift to ourselves after we both celebrated big birthdays last year.

For six weeks, we will leave the winter of Mexico (and it has been a cloudy and cool one) to the warmth of down under.  New Zealand, Australia, Bali … then onto Hawaii and eventually in mid-March back home to PV.   Next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be the flights from hell.  Leaving Puerto Vallarta at 4:00PM Thursday, we go to LA, then Fiji, then onto Auckland, NZ, arriving there at 2:00PM Saturday (including the date change).  Seventeen hours in the air, 27 hours including layovers.  The iPad is loaded with movies, the Kindle is loaded with books, the sleeping pills are in the backpack.

After two days in Auckland, we board the Celebrity Solstice for an 18 night cruise all around New Zealand with stops in Tauranga, Akaroa, Christchuch, Dusky and Doubtful and Milford Sounds, then across the Tasman Sea to Sydney, Hobart (Tasmania), Adelaide,  Esperance, Albany, and Perth.

The cruise terminates n Perth, but while most passengers will disembark there, we will stay on board for the next 17 night Australian cruise which will complete the voyage around the island/continent.  From Perth, we visit Port Hedland, then Benoa (Bali), Darwin, Cairns (Great Barrier Reef),  then back to Sydney where the sea adventure ends.  From Sydney, we will fly to Honolulu where we will “vacation" for a week, then back to PV.

We have never been gone so long before.  It will be an experience, and while we haven’t thought much about it since we planned it last March, we are both getting excited about the adventures that we will encounter.   My plan is to blog along the way, relaying the observations and oddities of travel a half a world away.   It may be challenging.  

First of all, I‘m not sure what type of Internet opportunities we will have (we won’t be buying the ship board Internet package because at 49 cents a minute for extremely slow online access, our WiFi bill would soon eclipse the cost of the cruise).   Second, and more concerning, the letter “I” just broke on my computer.  If I press hard enough, the “I” will print, and spell check catches most of the misspellings …. But f you notce a few words mssng an “”, that’s why.